A vision in green

Restoration of the historic gardens at Holcombe Court, Devon, has been a slow and thoughtful process that harnessed the individual qualities of the entire garden team to great effect, says Tiffany Daneff

- Tiffany Daneff

NO pink’ was the sole demand made by Nigel Wiggins of his new head gardener, Kathy Worner, when she joined him 20 years ago. This was soon after he had moved into Holcombe Court, the finest Tudor house in Devon, the subsequent extensive restoration of which was covered in COUNTRY LIFE last year (May 27 and June 3).

Miss Worner had worked for the previous owners, but had left briefly because there had been only one herbaceous border then, offering little to exercise her imagination, nor, indeed, her many as-yet-untapped talents. When she realised that Mr Wiggins was as serious about developing the garden as he was about restoring the house, she soon agreed to return, at first part time and then, as the project developed, for more hours. Today, there are half a dozen talented part-time gardeners working in the seven acres of gardened ground within the 99-acre estate. Each has their specialisation and has the freedom to express themselves.

The roof of the Tudor Gatehouse Tower, with All Saints Parish Church and the village of Holcombe Rogus behind, is the perfect spot from which to understand the layout of the garden. This dates back to the 16th century, but little of the Tudor parts remain. In his book on Holcombe Court, Charles Scott-Fox quotes research that suggests there would have been walled courts, enclosures and gardens designed to be seen from the upper windows of the house.